China appoints naval commander as new Defence Minister

Beijing: China on Friday named naval commander General Dong Jun as the new defence minister, two months after the summary dismissal of General Li Shangfu without any explanation.

China's top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), had confirmed Li’s ouster in October.

Dong, the commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), was appointed as Defence Minister by the NPC Standing Committee, official media here reported.

Dong, whose age is not known, has served in all major naval divisions in the PLAN.

Before becoming the navy’s top commander in 2021, he served in the Northern Sea Fleet, now a regular player in joint drills with the Russian Navy, the Eastern Sea Fleet, which focuses on potential conflicts with Japan, as well as the Southern Command Theatre, which oversees the South China Sea, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The appointments for the top defence posts are cleared by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) besides being the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).